To repair a collision damaged vehicle a collision repairman must accurately measure the displacement of various points on the damaged vehicle relative to certain axes and/or reference points of the vehicle before applying known collision repair techniques and equipment to force the damaged vehicle frame and/or body back into their pre-damaged positions. While the collision repair forces are applied to the damaged vehicle the repairman must monitor the aforesaid points, relative to the aforesaid axes and/or reference points, so that the application of force to the damaged vehicle can be controlled and stopped once the monitored points have been returned to their known, pre-damaged orientation relative to the aforesaid axes and/or reference points.
In the prior art cumbersome pieces of equipment are used to monitor the position of points on the body of a collision damaged vehicle. The prior art is typified, for example, by U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,305 issued Oct. 30, 1984 for an invention of Wendl et al. titled "Measuring Bridge". The device of Wendl et al includes an upstanding, open, rectangular frame which must be assembled around the collision damaged vehicle. A pair of pointers are slidably mounted on a bar which extends across the top of the frame. The repairman may, for example, align the left hand pointer with a joint or other reference point on the left hand side of the vehicle. The bar along which the pointers slide bears a scale which enables the repairman to determine the displacement of the selected reference point from the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The repairman then slides the right hand pointer so that it is at an equal displacement to the right of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Ordinarily, the right hand pointer would then be aligned over a reference point on the right hand side of the vehicle corresponding to that over which the left hand pointer is aligned. However, if the right hand side of the vehicle has sustained collision damage then the right hand pointer may not be aligned with the corresponding right hand reference point. The collision repairman may thus note the extent to which collision damage has displaced the right hand reference point from its proper position and then apply known collision repair techniques to force the right hand side of the vehicle back into its proper position. More particularly, force is applied to move the right hand side of the vehicle until the reference point on the right hand side of the vehicle is precisely aligned with the right hand pointer.
The process is then repeated, as required, by repositioning the frame and/or pointers at other reference point pairs on the damaged vehicle until the effects of the collision damage have been reversed and the vehicle frame and/or body returned to their original pre-damaged positions. Conventionally, the upstanding prior art frame is mounted on a base support such that the frame may be repositioned, relative to the base support, by sliding or otherwise moving the frame with respect to the base support in order to facilitate a wider range of pointer positions relative to the collision damaged vehicle.
The prior art is further exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,003 issued July 4, 1978 for an invention of Gilbert Negrin titled "Distortion Detection Device, Notably for Motor Vehicle Frames"; U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,402 issued March 16, 1982 for an invention of William T. Martin titled "Chassis Gaging System"; U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,784 issued May 18, 1982 for an invention of Bengt A. Bjork titled "Method and Device for Checking the Dimensions of Vehicles"; U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,624 issued January 4, 1983 for an invention of Hans R. Bergstrom titled "Arrangement for Benches for Measuring and Straightening Vehicles"; and, U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,187 issued Dec. 31, 1985 for an invention of Robert F. Powell titled "Vehicle Frame Alignment Gauge".
The prior art devices aforesaid require time consuming assembly and subsequent time consuming repositioning each time it is desired to take measurements at a different location on a collision damaged vehicle. The incorporation, in the prior art devices, of a multiplicity of heavy construction members also increases the cost of the prior art devices and the cost of labour needed to erect and utilize the prior art devices since two or more workmen are often required to manipulate and align the prior art devices. A further shortcoming of the prior art is that, due to the significant time and labour required to erect the prior art devices, they are frequently left in their erected state and thus occupy a complete bay in the collision repair shop. The bay in which the prior art device is erected cannot be used for other work. Moreover, this necessitates movement, to the bay in which the prior art device is erected, of all collision damaged vehicles requiring repair with the aid of the prior art device. This inefficient utilization of space, time and equipment/manpower resources can have a significant impact on profitability of the collision repair shop.
The present invention provides an extremely simplified vehicle body measuring apparatus which a single repairman can rapidly assemble and then, with minimal effort, rapidly use to take a wide variety of measurements on the vehicle body during the collision repair process as will now be described.